Writing Romance: Initial Chemistry
For a relationship not already in progress at the start of a story (and sometimes for ones that are in progress), the introduction to the potential relationship will be initial chemistry. This is the build-up to the relationship itself, and has to get the audience invested in it. Without this, the audience is watching or reading about two people faking it, wondering if there’s something else they could be doing with their time.
When the relationship is the central plot of the story, it should be given time to develop. It takes more than simply having two characters spend time together to develop their chemistry. This comes up a lot in bad romcoms. The two characters will spend time together, but not get to know each other or find common interests. The male lead never sees the female lead as anything more than “some woman” or “a female friend” until she puts on makeup and a nice dress. To me, that says two things: 1. her only redeeming quality to him is her looks, and 2. that relationship isn’t going to last.
I mentioned finding common interests or getting to know one another. In Girl in Red, one of my favorite relationships to write was Luna and Neville. Luna helped Neville at critical moments during the Triwizard Tournament by being her normal, weirdly optimistic self, even helping him to find some confidence in himself. They both provided a shoulder to cry on the following year after Rose’s apparent death, which hit them harder than anyone apart from Hermione. Neville listened to Luna go on about magical creatures that may or may not have existed, and Luna listened to Neville talk about Herbology. This made it feel natural when the two became more than just friends.
If the relationship is already in progress, and it’s important, there needs to be chemistry between the characters so we understand why they’re together. In the show Firefly, there’s mutual respect between the characters Zoe and Wash, despite them being very different people, so we can understand why they’re together. Or it could be simple, like in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. When Roger’s wife is asked what she sees in him, she simply responds “He makes me laugh”.
Chemistry between two characters in a relationship is important, otherwise they’re just two people. If the chemistry is done right, people are invested in the relationship, so when it’s threatened, it will keep readers on the edge. They’ll care about what happens to them and if they get together or not, or if they are together, they’ll want to see them stay together.
© 2023 Sky Starlight CC BY-NC-SA